I spoke to Molly Ball for her Wall Street Journal profile on Rep. Matt Gaetz amid the fallout from the leadership coup he precipitated.
Whether McCarthy is replaced by a similar figure or a more conservative one, Gaetz wins either way, said Liam Donovan, a Republican lobbyist. If a conservative wins it would make Gaetz a hero to the right; otherwise it would further his argument that the D.C. “cartel” is conspiring to frustrate conservatives’ aims.
“It just sets up the grievance-based grift that powered him to this point,” Donovan said. “Matt Gaetz can’t do anything but win in this situation.”
Read the full piece here.
In a meta twist, Gaetz himself took to his podcast, Firebrand, to weigh in on the profile, including a disconcerting affirmation of my quote.
Relevant clip below: